The Orlando Magic knew they were on the rise after Paolo Banchero earned Rookie of the Year in the 2023 season. The Magic knew they had a big opportunity to set the foundation for their promising young team with two Lottery picks, likely their last two Lottery picks for some time.
Orlando still went with high upside picks. The Magic took Anthony Black with the sixth pick, aiming to grab another plus-sized player at point guard who fit their defensive ethos and believed they could grow with their young team.
The Magic also knew then that they needed shooting. Leaving the 2023 Draft without a shooter in some fashion would have been seen as a disaster. Orlando's never-ending quest for outside shooting has been a long-standing frustration.
Still, nobody saw the Magic taking Jett Howard with the 11th pick in that Draft. He was not considered a Lottery pick at the time, with his defensive issues coming to the forefront at Michigan. But he was the volume shooter the Magic had been seeking.
If the pick was a reach, it was at least a reach on a skill the Magic needed. In early Summer League runs, he showed he could provide more playmaking, and his size fit the Magic's typical target for draft choices.
Two seasons later, Howard has failed to hit. He has failed to crack the rotation. Even worse, he has struggled to hit outside shots, the skill that got him to the NBA.
As the Magic look ahead to the next phase of their development, the team is likely avoiding development projects and uncertainty. It likely means the Magic are moving on from Howard and their experiment with him as their top shooter.
Even in a season where the Magic were desperate for outside shooting, Howard was not an option. And that only speaks to how far down the depth chart he has fallen . . . and why he likely should be shuffled out of Orlando's future.
Jett Howard never cracked the rotation
It is hard to dig into Jett Howard's numbers with any typer of seriousness because he played so sparingly.
Howard finished his second season averaging 4.5 points per game in 11.7 minutes per game after 60 games. He finished the season shooting 37.4 percent from the floor and 29.6 percent from three (on 3.1 attempts per game).
Howard played eight games of 20 minutes or more the entire season. He averaged 11.0 points per game in those games and made 28.1 percent of his threes, taking 7.1 3-point attempts per game.
Orlando needs volume shooting, and Howard certainly does that. But he has not earned the right to that volume because his percentages are so low.
Of course, it is fair to say that Howard did not play enough to get a rhythm. It led to an uneven season when Howard did get his chance.
"I can shoot the ball at a pretty high level," Howard said during exit interviews. "Just getting used to doing that and being out there. It's kind of hard because I was in there sometimes and not sometimes. That's more than anything a young guy trying to get into the lead. Trying to navigate with that. There's some comfortability with that."
Of course, Howard has to earn that opportunity. And that was not happening behind the scenes -- fair or not.
The Magic gave Howard an extended run in the rotation at various points. His best chance came in February.
They sat veteran Gary Harris for much of the team's seven-game homestand. Howard played 14.0 minutes per game in that five-game stretch, averaging 3.4 points per game and shooting 3 for 15 from three.
That was his window to get more playing time and he failed to take advantage. On top of that, the Magic went 0-5. As Orlando hit the road again, the team turned back to the veteran and Howard was out of the rotation for good.
Howard played only the final 3:49 of Game 5 in the Playoffs. That says it all after two seasons in the NBA -- granted his rookie year was mostly spent in the G-League.
Howard had some good moments -- including a 21-point effort in the home loss to the Utah Jazz in January, where he shot 4 for 10 from three. It is undeniable that Howard is the kind of player the Magic need.
But he struggled to put that foot forward often enough. In theory, Howard has the skills the Magic need. He never met that potential.
Now Howard has to find what comes next.
"Just know what to do and what not to do," Howard said of his takeaways from the season. "Just the preparation aspect, the mental aspect. Just like going to school for a year and coming back the next year, and having a better feel for everything around you. Just my play, I thought I could have played better. I thought I definitely could have impacted the game more. That's what next year is for."
What is Howard's future?
There are a lot of questions about Jett Howard's future at this point. There are a lot of questions about a lot of the Orlando Magic's future at this point. Outside of the core players -- Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs -- everyone seems to be in flux.
One of the key decisions the Magic must make this offseason is what to do with their list of young players.
Are they willing to wait on Anthony Black's development and potential? Where does Tristan da Silva fit in with the team's development after an uneven rookie year?
With Howard it is a little more clear-cut. Unless he makes a giant leap, the Magic already seem to have little room for him. Especially since it is widely expected that the Magic will seek shooting with their offseason moves. They may not find duplicates or competition for the other two young players.
If Howard were good enough to fill that role, he would have taken it this year when the Magic were so desperate for shooting. It screams that Howard needs a place where he can make mistakes and get playing experience.
That is something the Magic cannot give. And if Orlando is looking to help a team kickstart a rebuild, a second draft acquisition of Howard would be a big boost to them.
But that is all Howard has become: Trade fodder. A fill in to make the match work for CBA rules. It is hard to see much more from him.
In the end, Jeff Weltman went way out on a limb to draft Jett Howard. It felt like a major risk at the time. It is a gamble that has not paid off.